An airport security supervisor who worked at Newark Liberty International, one of the nation’s busiest airports, used a stolen identity to get hired at the airport, authorities say.
Authorities say 54-year-old Nigerian Bimbo Olumuyiwa Oyewole entered the country illegally in 1989 and assumed the identity of Jerry Thomas, who was killed in New York City in 1992. Police say he bought Thomas’ identity from a third party.
“In all cases, he passed the background checks,’’ said Michael McKeon told The Associated Press. McKeon is a spokesman for FJC Security Services, the contractor that Oyewole worked for at the airport. “During his time with FJC, he had nothing in his record or his performance to indicate a cause for concern or a reason to question the state police and federal government’s background checks.’’
Oyewole, who faces deportation, has pleaded not guilty in Newark municipal court to charges of identity theft. He was found only after someone sent an anonymous tip to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The alleged imposter was responsible for about 30 airport security personnel who manned TSA checkpoints after gates in the airport had closed for the night. His team also inspected deliveries to the airport.
Families or funeral homes usually report deaths to the Social Security Administration, which would have prevented Oyewole’s ruse from lasting as long as it did. Apparently the administration was never notified of the death of Thomas, who has been described as a drifter.